I’m not sure this is an improvement. This used to be a multi-purpose field with ball diamonds and soccer goals, all on a grassy surface. Lately, big trucks, dozers and cats have been grading the surface for who knows what. I’ll post a panorama of the final product later.
While cereus cactii varieties bear their flowers in the night, most varieties of barrel cactii produce flowers that open to the sun’s rays and close before sundown. They often open for several days in a row before withering.
The Devil’s Tongue Barrel or Crow’s Claw Cactus has pinkish purple or yellow flowers. This cactus is fairly popular in cultivation because it blooms very early, many young plants will bloom when they reach 4 inches in diameter or so. Our Devil’s Tongue cactus is about the size of a basketball.
Click on the image for a larger view.
It’s been a weekend for butterflies in our back yard. Unlike yesterday’s yellow butterfly on purple petals, this golden butterfly among golden petals was a bit more difficult to spot. This is a good example of natural camouflage if I’ve ever seen it.
Verna was in the back yard working today and a little butterfly fluttered into view. She was ready with her camera and got a shot of it (inset in the panorama). This is the back yard as seen from just behind the family room by the chimney.
The tomatillo, also known as the husk tomato, jamberry, husk cherry, Mexican tomato, or ground cherry, gets these pretty little flowers before producing fruit. In Mexico, tomatillo means “little tomato.” We have a bunch of these in the garden this year. Click for the full-sized picture.
Known as the “moth orchid†due to its resemblance to some tropical moths, the phalaenopsis is native to the Asiatic tropics, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. This lovely and delicate plant has been a welcome adornment to our kitchen counter under the skylight for several months. Click for a bigger view of these beautiful flowers.
